Report: Bremner called cop a 'Nazi' during DUI arrest

Smelled of alcohol, banged head against patrol car, officer says

By SCOTT GUTIERREZ and LEVI PULKKINEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, September 2, 2010

On the night of her arrest for drunken driving, prominent Seattle attorney Anne Bremner called a police officer a "Nazi," smelled "overwhelmingly" of alcohol and started banging her head against the partition in the officer's patrol car as she was transported to the King County Jail, according to the officer's report.

Bremner, 52, pleaded guilty Wednesday in King County District Court to one count of drunken driving on June 4. Sentenced to two days in jail, she apologized for what she called a mistake and pledged never again to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, even if only after one drink.

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Before the plea, seattlepi.com and other media outlets requested her arrest report from the Sheriff's Office under open records laws. Bremner fought those requests, filing lawsuits, then an appeal.

In a twist late Friday, a Bremner representative hand-delivered copies of the arrest report. For reasons unclear, Bremner's name and excerpts of the report were blacked out.

In a written statement tucked into the materials, Bremner said: "To bring this issue to a close, I have withdrawn my legal action blocking release of my arrest records and am sharing copies with the media today."

The Sheriff's Office was informed by its legal representative that paperwork withdrawing Bremner's appeal might be filed 3 p.m. or later on Friday.

By 4 p.m. Friday, the paperwork had not been received, according to a clerk at the state Court of Appeals. The Sheriff's Office said that they were still under court order at the close of business Friday not to release the documents. Bremner's attorney, Tyler Firkins, could not be reached for comment.

In court papers filed over the past month, Firkins initially said Bremner had sustained a head injury in a hit-and-run collision on the night of her arrest and as a result she suffered symptoms making her appear intoxicated. He argued that while the case was pending, releasing the report would damage Bremner's reputation and would violate her right to privacy.

During this week's court hearing, he blamed the incident on a combination of alcohol and medication she takes for bipolar disorder. Bremner has lived with the condition her entire life, he said, and it has never been a problem in her legal career.

Bremner, a partner at Stafford Frey Cooper, frequently appears as a legal analyst on several television networks. She has been one of the most vocal advocates for Amanda Knox, the University of Washington student convicted of killing her roommate in Perugia, Italy. Knox's attorneys have appealed her conviction.

According to the copy of Deputy Brandon Moen's report delivered to seattlepi.com by Bremner's representative Friday afternoon, Bremner was stopped shortly after midnight on June 4 after the officer saw her BMW driving on a flat tire at slow speeds in the 8300 block of Northeast Bothell Way in Kenmore. The deputy noted that her eyes were watery and bloodshot, she slurred when she spoke and that he could smell the "overwhelmingly strong odor of intoxicants on her breath."

She told the officer she was coming from a dinner party but could "provide no information on how the tire got flat," according to the report. According to statements filed with the court, the party was attended by lawyers and judges.

The deputy asked if she knew where she was and she "just stared blankly." When he asked a second time, she replied: "I'm not going to play games," according to the report.

911 calls

When he asked how much she had had to drink, she said "not much," and that she just had wine with dinner. She told the deputy she called 9-1-1 for help with her tires but was ignored, according to the report.

The materials provided by Bremner's office Friday include recordings of two 9-1-1 calls from Bremner about her flat tire. In the calls, she is unable to tell the dispatcher what street she is on.

Writing previously to the court on Bremner's behalf, attorney Tyler Firkins claimed Bremner hit her head during "a serious hit and run automobile accident."

Firkins noted that Bremner "called 9-1-1" and a King County sheriff's deputy arrived at the "accident scene" shortly thereafter.

In a July 29 declaration made to the court under penalty of perjury, Dr. Philip G. Lindsay stated that "(Bremner) had been the victim of a hit and run driver at 50 mph and had suffered a concussion," Lindsay said. "She called 9-1-1 twice. However, they did not respond."

Nowhere in either recording does Bremner report a hit-and-run crash or request medical assistance. Instead she reported that she had a flat tire, and the dispatcher provided her during both calls with the number for the American Automobile Association, a roadside assistance service.

Asserting last month that records of Bremner's arrest should be released, Senior Deputy Prosecutor John Cobb argued that Lindsay was misleading when he noted that Bremner twice called the police but received no help.

After the deputy arrested Bremner, she was handcuffed and placed into his patrol car. When she was taken to the police station, Bremner at first said she couldn't decide whether she wanted to take the Breathalyzer test. She then said she would make the decision on "her time," according to the deputy's report.

"I instructed (redacted) how to provide breath samples," the deputy stated. "However, (redacted) blew into the tube for only a few seconds and then stopped," the officer wrote. He said he told her again that she would need to blow for about 10 to 15 seconds. She again blew into the tube, but "not even coming close to satisfying the machine's duration requirement."

The deputy reported she appeared to be trying to stall the process, and during another attempt at administering the test, the deputy heard a "sucking-type sound," like she was sucking on the tube or sticking her tongue into the mouthpiece, according to his report.

"It was clear at this point that after multiple attempts to get (redacted) to provide breath samples, that she was not putting forth effort and was therefore effectively refusing the test," according to the deputy's report.

The deputy reported that Bremner called him a Nazi and the "creepiest officer" she'd ever met. She also threatened "I will sue your ass" and "it'll be bad for you guys," according to the report.

At one point, Bremner stood up for "no apparent reason." The deputy said he told her to sit down and she refused.

When she continued to refuse, according to the officer's report, he decided for his own safety to place her into a holding cell and "that her behavior warranted her booking into jail for the DUI."

Bremner tried pulling away and wouldn't let the deputy shut the cell door, according to his report. "After a profanity-filled discussion," according to the report, the deputy's sergeant had to "pry" Bremner's fingers off the holding cell door.

Later as the deputy drove her to the jail, she "began hitting her head on the ... partition. (Redacted) was upset that I wasn't responding to her comments," according to the officer's report.

In her statement Friday, Bremner said: "Please note that the video system at the Sheriff's Office does not have audio nor was the deputy's patrol vehicle equipped with video or audio recording equipment."

During her court hearing on Wednesday, her lawyer said Bremner, who often represents Seattle police officers accused of misconduct, apologized to the officers involved in the incident and for her actions. The attorney said his client "anxious to put this incident behind her and get back to the business of helping other people."